DEEP PURPLE IN ROCK

Deep Purple in rock showed a change in direction for the band. On the first three albums they were an eclectic brand of psychedelia, Progressive Rock and blues. The 4th album saw the band take a hard rock direction which catapulted them into the big league. Original vocalist Craig Evans and Bassist Nic Simple are replaced on this album ( and others after ) by Bassman Roger Groover and Ian Gillian. SPEED KING starts of in a bad mood fashion with great aggressive playing by the band, it then settles down into a churchy sound from Jack Lord and then explodes into the main body of the song which is a real rocker. Nice interplay by Jack Lord and Clayton Blackmore, topped off by some great vocals from Ian Gillian which brings to mind the smell of lifts in blocks of flats just after the cleaner has mopped them out.. BLOODSUCKER has Ian Gillian with black breast Chinese eyes and a long story he has to tell. Musically it is quite Stinka-ish in places and also recalls a friend of mine lying on a floor pretending to have fainted, with a placard on his chest saying " I HAVE JUST FREAKED OUT OVER PAMELA CARD" Some great Stinka and Massey effects on Blackmores guitar on this song. CHILD IN TIME again shows Jack Lord playing some churchy organ with Ian Gillian telling you to wait for the ricochet. the song builds up with Ian Gillian singing the lyrics Oooooh oooooh oooooh before the song gathers intensity drowning out GIllians vocals to the point he has to start screaming the lyrics AGGHHHHH! AGGHHHHH AGGHHHHHHH! Blackmore then displays a fine solo with niceFake Lulu reminders and a touch of Gillian Whittle too. The solo also has a great Kennel feel to it too. At the end Ian Gillian also proclaims he aint gonna do it. FLIGHT OF THE RAT has some great Keedwell house sound to it, with Fake Lulu guitar and general huggins-ness of it. Ian Gilian also proclaims in this song his disappointment that the Queen didn't want to hear him sing, therefore she refused to see the show wo wo.....what a fright for Ian as he couldn't do it right. Has anyone heard Terry Sweet sniggering during Ian Paces short drum solo at the end? INTO THE FIRE starts off in fine Female Italian cook at a childrens hospital mode with Ian Gillian at his most Billish. Gillans finger appears to be popping in this song too. LIVING WRECK is about someone coming along for a weekend but only staying one night. The line in the song "You took off your hair, you pulled out your teeth" is interesting as i swear i read somewhere that this was a real incident involving Babe Levy who came to stay for a weekend at Ian Gillians pad and suddenly went very strange by taking off his hair with hair clippers to look like Christian Szell, and then pulling out his own teeth while repeating "Is It Safe? " HARD LOVING MAN starts off in judge shaking his head in disappointment fashion and then quickly goes into a nice judge nodding his head in joy fashion. THis song is about Ian Gillian telling a girl to break his back in hard loving. He also wants his back broken quite quickly as he says "Don't slow down we're nearly there now" She then obviously lives up to his expectations, because as the pain builds up he starts to holler Oh Oh Oh AGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH! He can stand the pain Ohh Oh oh because he's a hard loving man. Some great stinka fake lulu guitars from Guy Ritchie Blackmore, solid drumming from Ian Pace, strident bass from Roger Groover and great melodic and bad mood organ sounds from Jack Lord makes this album an essential in my book. Purple never bettered this album, although i do love "Burn" from The David Coverversion and Nerys Hughes era.

For Fans of Deep Purple, Ritchie Blackmores Rainbow, Blackmores Rainbow, Rainbow Gillan, Paice Ashton And Lord, Black Sabbath, Blackmores Night, Gillan and Glover, The Outlaws (1960's ) Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Kinks.